The present invention relates to a debarker toe assembly for a tree debarking machine and in particular to improved means for mounting a debarker toe to a holder.
In the wood processing industry where, for example, entire trees are employed for the manufacture of wood chips used in the pulp industry, it is first necessary to debark the tree before feeding the tree to a wood chipper. Such apparatus is also used in the lumber industry where the bark must be removed before cutting the tree into sized lumber. Debarking apparatus of conventional design includes a rotating ring having several inwardly biased radially extending arms with cutting members at their ends. Logs are fed through the center of the rotating ring where the rotating arms, typically biased against the log by springs or the like, circumscribe the tree ripping the bark from the log without appreciably damaging the wood itself.
As can be appreciated, the debarking arms and cutters at their ends are subject to significant wear due to the high impact forces and abrasive contact with the tree bark. As a result, the debarking arm end referred to as the debarking toe is normally made in a two-piece assembly with a holder permanently welded to the end of the arm and a demountable toe or cutter which can be replaced relatively frequently as required. Due to the high impact and other forces encountered during operation, it has been found that the debarking toes frequently slip thereby causing accelerated wear or destruction of the toe and sometimes the holder itself.
Debarker toe assemblies of the prior art have included a single elongated projection in the toe and a similarly shaped elongated recess in the holder such that some degree of interengagement between the two members is provided to reduce slippage in one direction during operation of the machine. Such an arrangement, however, does not provide for alignment of the toe to the holder nor does it securely lock the toe and holder together to resist slippage in all directions once assembled